George Tadross, part-owner and pharmacy manager at MAC Pharmacy, poses for a portrait in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. “You have to have a pharmacist to talk to,” Tadross emphasizes. “My philosophy in the pharmacy business is you know your doctor, he knows everything about you. You need to know your pharmacist as well (because) the pharmacist is the only one that sees the whole medical treatment plan you have.” (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
June 04, 2024 Story by: Editor
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The north side of Montgomery is marked by its absence of essential services: restaurants, grocery stores, and a convenient pharmacy, which shut down five years ago.
Residents in Newtown, a historically Black neighborhood, such as Sharon Harris, are feeling the strain. Harris now travels four miles to another location of the same pharmacy chain.
“You have to come back sometimes,” Harris said, “and then they wait so long to fill the prescription.”
Across the United States, many major retail pharmacies have closed numerous locations in recent years. Independent pharmacies often struggle to remain open, leaving communities of color without easy access to crucial services, including prescription medications, vaccinations, over-the-counter drugs, and sometimes even food.
“This creates a situation where there’s not just (a lack of) investment in terms of pharmacy development and expansion, but there’s no incentive to stay in those neighborhoods,” explained Dima Qato, a clinical pharmacy professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in pharmacy access studies.
An Associated Press analysis of licensing data from 44 states, combined with data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey, reveals that majority Black and Latino neighborhoods have fewer pharmacies per capita compared to predominantly white neighborhoods.
In Cleveland, MAC Pharmacy stands as the sole provider for about 20,000 residents in a predominantly Black ZIP code. George Tadross, part-owner and pharmacy manager, is dedicated to making things as easy as possible for his mostly older clientele, even organizing their medications by day.
“You have to have a pharmacist to talk to,” Tadross stated. “My philosophy in the pharmacy business is you know your doctor, he knows everything about you. You need to know your pharmacist as well (because) the pharmacist is the only one that sees the whole medical treatment plan you have.”
Pharmacists are critical in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart-related conditions, which disproportionately affect Black and Latino populations.
Jasmine Gonzalvo, a Purdue University College of Pharmacy professor who researches the needs of Spanish-speaking patients, emphasized the importance of cultural and linguistic representation in pharmacies. If patients do not feel comfortable asking questions about their medications, they might not take them correctly or at all.
“You don’t get a refill,” Gonzalvo noted, “simply because there were barriers in the way of your communicating and feeling safe in that relationship with your pharmacist.” AP News
Bert’s Pharmacy in Elizabeth, New Jersey, ensures they have Spanish- and English-speaking staff at all times. Owner and pharmacist Prakash Patel said this is vital in a ZIP code where nearly 70% of residents are Hispanic.
“We want to make sure, too, they understood everything,” Patel said. “We have Spanish-language labels for them, we print all the instructions in Spanish for them.”
In Montgomery, where Harris resides, the city is drafting a development plan for the north side. According to a retail analysis, a small pharmacy could generate $1.5 million in annual sales.
“There’s an opportunity there because you have what I call a captive market,” said Bob Gibbs, director of Gibbs Planning Group, which conducted the analysis. “People that live in a lot of these neighborhoods have limited access to transportation … and they’re very loyal to local businesses that will treat them with respect.
“They will go out of their way just to go there. And they just don’t like having to drive … two miles to go to a drugstore. That’s unfair.”
Despite these plans, Harris remains skeptical about a new pharmacy opening in her neighborhood.
“I don’t see it,” she said. “As long as they have (that CVS) they think it’s okay. … Everybody is waiting for them to do something on this side.”
